Pistachio Pound Cake Recipe

Cinq-Cinquièmes à la Pistache

Le quatre-quarts (“four fourths”) can be described as the French pound cake. It has earned its name because the batter is made with the same weight of eggs, butter, sugar, and flour, thus amounting to a fourth of the cake each: you weigh the eggs first, and measure the rest of the ingredients accordingly. There’s baking powder, too, which throws the proportions off by a feather, but thou shalt resist the temptation to nit-pick.

It is a fluffy-crumbed, buttery cake that takes kindly to the company of a cup of tea: late afternoon is the traditional time to serve it, but it won’t be out of place for breakfast — my mornings were consistently fueled by quatre-quart breton for a few of my teenage years — or dessert, to accessorize a chilled strawberry soup or perhaps a chocolate cream.

The basic quatre-quarts is an easygoing fellow that can be adapted and tweaked to your heart’s content. A bit of lemon juice in the batter and a brush of lemon glaze on top is a classic, and quite pleasing, variation, but I decided to make a pistachio version this time, having recently enjoyed a similar bakery-bought cake. I took the equal proportion idea a step further, adding the same weight of pistachios as that of the other ingredients, and this is why I named it a cinq-cinquièmes.

As you will notice on the picture above, I didn’t bake the cake in any old pan, but rather took the opportunity to finally use my Baker’s Edge pan, which its inventor sent to me a little while ago. It is a sturdy nonstick pan with a maze-like pattern, designed to optimize the crust-to-center ratio. I love the idea — I am all for optimized ratios — and I was very pleased with this first use. The shape makes for a more even heat distribution than conventional pans, so the batter bakes faster, which is great if you have an urgent need for fresh-from-the-oven cake — just remember to shorten the baking time of your recipe. The inside walls make it tricky to unmold the finished cake all in one piece (it was conceived with bars and brownies in mind) but it is a fun, quirky object that looks attractive enough to be used as a serving vessel. Perhaps not when your great-great-aunt comes to tea, but your friends who live in that lightbulb factory loft will no doubt love it.

The company behind the Baker’s Edge pan is a three-person operation, founded by one Matthew Griffin. I have exchanged a few emails with him, and he is the sort of passionate, relentless entrepreneur I am happy to support — a David in an industry of Goliaths. The company has some exciting developments in the works (including having the pan sold at modern art museum gift shops, industrial design and all), and I hope that these will allow the team to quit their proverbial dayjobs. (You can read more about Matt’s story here, and buy one of his pans here.)

The same weight as the eggs in salted butter (about 3/4 cup), at room temperature -- add a good pinch of salt if you use unsalted butter

The same weight as the eggs in sugar (about 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) -- I used unrefined brown sugar

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

The same weight as the eggs in flour (about 1 1/3 cup)

The same weight as the eggs in unsalted pistachios (about 1 1/3 cup), toasted and chopped

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a 22-centimeter (9-inch) round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper (I used an ungreased Baker's Edge pan).

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and process until creamy. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix again.

In a medium mixing-bowl, combine the flour, pistachios, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and process until just combined -- the batter will be thick.

Pour the batter into the pan, level the surface with a spatula, and bake for 25 minutes (just 18 for the Baker's Edge pan), until the top of the cake springs back to the touch, and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool completely before serving.

I like the idea of a better crust ratio (I can think of many cakes where the crunchy crust is a must), and a pistachio pound cake sounds delicious, too. Thanks, Clotilde!

Monica

The pan also looks useful for those of us in higher altitudes, where baked goods sometimes burn on the outside before they’re done in the middle. There’s less “middle” in this pan. I may have to get one.

I love the cake recipe, too, of course!

Gustad Mody

looks like a mouse’s maze pan

Jennifer

A conversation piece if I ever saw one. Great review and recipe, Clotilde. Your website is always a joy to read.

Roberta

I don’t understand this pan… How does the cake come out of the pan? With the zig zag pattern how do you serve ot present that cake? Would it be easier to just use 2 loaf pans?

Michelle

I jsut made the cake myself, doubled the recipe to make on to freeze for emergencies. This cake is great! We ate it for dessert, shared with friends and had a but for breakfast with cherry compote. YUM! I believe I will be giving several at Christmastime.

Hi, I finally got around to making this at the weekend, and I have to confess to being a little disappointed on taking my first bite fresh. However, I am now converted. It is now 5 days since I baked it and it is tasting fantastic, obviously one of those cakes that get’s better with age :-) Thanks for the recipe, I shall be making it again I’m sure.

I love following your updates, and this is a certainly a creative recipe!

Your comment about robot pans though, that is creative… but isn’t that what bread-maker appliances do!? :)

Although, it would be nice of they could make other things. But that would also take the fun out of making the dough ourselves – which I love…

Elli

Hello Clotilde, once more this cake of yours got me some good reviews at a friends party. I made some tweaks to it: I used 4 eggs (200 gms), with 100gm whole wheat flour and 100 gm blanched almond flour. And instead of equal weight in chopped pistachios, I added 60 gms pistachio paste. cooking time had to be increased to 45 minutes due to the larger size. Everything turned out well, and there was not a crumb left once the cake was served! :-)

About Clotilde

Clotilde Dusoulier is a French food writer based in Paris. Her focus is on fresh, colorful, and seasonal foods, making room for both wholesome, nourishing dishes and sweet treats.

An enthusiastic explorer of flavors and observer of culinary trends, she leads private walking tours in Paris, contributes to international food and travel magazines, and writes cookbooks and guidebooks. She lives in Montmartre with her husband and their two little boys. Learn more »